Sailing to Sulawesi’s Untouched Gem: Will Nickel Mining Destroy Labengke - S5 Ep 124

Sail with us aboard Our Dreamtime to the island of Pulau Labengke, a remote ecological paradise off the southeast coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia, where crystal-clear waters, vibrant coral reefs, heart-shaped bays, and lush rainforests teeming with hornbills, kingfishers, and other exotic bird species await. In this sailing adventure, we explore a pristine, unspoilt island that feels like the very definition of Nirvana—but its future is under threat. Just across the narrow strait, aggressive nickel mining is devastating the Sulawesi mainland, stripping away jungle, leaving barren red hills, and polluting once-thriving marine ecosystems with choking red sediment. Fears expressed by locals and disturbing signs such as survey pegs on Labengke suggest this paradise may soon face the same destructive fate. Join us as we anchor in a stunning fjord-like bay, share our firsthand experience of this natural wonder, and raise awareness of the environmental risks posed by unchecked mining activity in Southeast Asia’s most beautiful and fragile sailing destinations. Here’s a very concerning report from the BBC - The rush for nickel: 'They are destroying our future' - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66131451 Nirwana Labengke Resort - https://labengki.com/ Join the Dreamtime Sail Virtual Crew: If you’d like access to our live-tracker to see where we are in real time, receive almost daily Sit Rep updates when we’re sailing via an exclusive crew Facebook Group, early, add free access to our episodes, free or heavily discounted downloads of all our e-books plus other exclusive benefits, you can become a member of our Dreamtime Sail Virtual Crew through either Ko-fi or Patreon. The funds help us offset the cost of upload data, music and editing software subscriptions, storage hard drives plus camera and audio equipment to improve the quality of our shows. Thank you so much crew. You’re the guys and girls who float our boat and keep us motivated. Ko-fi https://www.ko-fi.com/dreamtimesail (Note: Ko-Fi has become our preferred platform for support as they take no commission from Crew Member’s contributions) Patreon https://www.patreon.com/DreamtimeSail Our Books and eBooks are available via Payhip HERE - https://tinyurl.com/DreamtimeSailebooks This video contains music used under license from Epidemic Sound. SOCIALS We’re on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DreamtimeSail Follow our Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dreamtimesail/ We’ve been blogging since 2011. Check it out at https://www.dreamtimesail.blogspot.com You can find Karen's recipes and tips from Our Galley at https://dreamtimesail.blogspot.com/p/our-galley.html 00:00 Intro 01:17 Anchorage 01:50 Exploring the Bay 02:56 Nirwana Labenke Resort 04:41 Threat of Nickel Mining 06:20 Mooring Failure 08:35 Blue Lagoon 08:48 Heart Bay Anchorage 21:42 Bloopers 24:05 Next & Bloopers